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Come to a special evening under the stars at the Ford Amphitheare for a high-spirited, entertaining program of Eastern European music and songs on Sunday, August 9 featuring the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. The program features Wladislaw Szpilman's Piano Concertino, featured in the Academy Award-winning film "The Pianist"; Elliot Finkel's The Fiddler, based on a Shalom Aleichem tale; and more, including a featured appearance by Mike Burstyn, one of the world's most popular Jewish entertainers. Join us as the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony celebrates international efforts to promote the legacy of Yiddish language, culture and history. Visit http://www.FordTheatres.org or call 323 461-3673 for tickets.

The Tale of The Allergist's Wife.

Los Angeles, California (PRWEB)July 17, 2009

A spirited program showcasing Jewish and Yiddish music and songs of Russia, Poland and other Eastern European countries performed by artists rich with Eastern European roots is presented by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony (LAJS) on Sunday, August 9, 2009, 7:30 p.m., at the Ford Theatres. "L'CHAIM (TO LIFE!): A Musical Celebration of Eastern European Culture," features actor/comedian Mike Burstyn and LAJS Founder/Artistic Director Noreen Green, who leads the orchestra with soloists Mark Kashper, violin, Zinovy Goro, clarinet, and Yevgeniy Milyavskiy, piano, in an evening that toasts hallowed cultural traditions.

The first half of the program includes Wladislaw Szpilman's Piano Concertino, featured in the Academy Award-winning film "The Pianist" and written while the composer was interned in the Warsaw Ghetto. Rising pianist Yevgeniy Milyavskiy's performance represents the LAJS's artistic vision providing opportunities for young musicians to appear with a symphony orchestra. Also on the program is The Fiddler, based on a Yiddish Shalom Aleichem tale, written by American composer Elliot Finkel for violin, narrator and orchestra, spotlighting LAJS Concertmaster Mark Kashper and entertainer Mike Burstyn. Rounding out the evening's first half is To the Wedding with soloist Zinovy Goro, clarinet, by Grzegorz Fitelberg (1879-1953), the legendary composer/conductor internationally known as "the Ambassador of Polish Music" whose life was dedicated to promoting Polish art, culture, and music worldwide. The program's second half features Burstyn and the orchestra presenting music, songs and stories reflecting international efforts to promote survival of the endangered legacy of Yiddish language, culture and history.

Since 1994, the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, under the baton of Dr. Noreen Green, has been dedicated to the performance of orchestral works of distinction which explore Jewish culture, heritage and experience. It also serves as an important resource for aspiring composers and musicians. Green, LAJS founder and artistic director, is a renowned lecturer on Jewish music, and an accomplished educator. Under her baton, the orchestra has performed in concert with a number of artists including Billy Crystal, Tovah Feldshuh, Leonard Nimoy, Randy Newman, Theodore Bikel, Laraine Newman, Valerie Harper, Pat Boone, Lainie Kazan, Fyvush Finkel, Dave Koz, Marvin Hamlisch and others. The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony fills a cultural niche that revitalizes the legacy of Jewish music and spans the broad range of Jewish heritage from the nadir of adversity to the triumph of accomplishment. In the words of the Los Angeles Times, "...the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony seems committed to the axiom that diversity is a terrible thing to waste." http://www.LAJewishSymphony.com

Burstyn, one of the world's most popular Jewish entertainers, has enjoyed a unique international career entertaining audiences on stage, screen and television, in nightclubs and on concert stages throughout the world. Born to a famed family of actors, his work includes "The Komediant," a documentary about his family, which won the1999 Israeli Oscar. He has received standing ovations and an Outer Critics Circle nomination as Meyer Lansky in "Lansky" and his second Drama Desk Award nomination for his performance in "On 2nd Avenue." He recently completed a concert tour of Israel celebrating his 50th anniversary in show business and co-starred with Valerie Harper in the national tour of "The Tale of The Allergist's Wife." He won an Outer Critics Circle Award nomination starring as Mike Todd in the Broadway musical "Ain't Broadway Grand" and a Drama Desk Award nomination for his portrayal of Mayer Rothschild in the critically acclaimed Off-Broadway revival of "The Rothschilds." He also starred on Broadway as P.T. Barnum in the Tony Award winning musical "Barnum," a role he recreated in the Dutch language production in The Netherlands.

Kashper, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's associate principal second violinist, has appeared as a soloist with the L.A. Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl as well as in many New Music Group and Chamber Music Series programs, collaborating with such distinguished musicians as Andre Previn, Emanuel Ax, and Yefim Bronfman. He has served as the LAJS concertmaster and frequent featured soloist since 1994.

Goro, considered a brilliant exponent of the clarinet in all types of music, including the highly specialized field of Klezmer music, has performed on countless television and motion picture soundtracks, and orchestra recordings for the Columbia, Decca, Philips and RCA Labels, and in the Mark Taper Forum's 1986 production of Ghetto. He has worked as a composer, orchestrator, arranger and clarinetist with the L.A. Chamber Orchestra and is currently LAJS principal clarinetist.

Milyavskiy, at the age of 23, is the Best American Prize winner of the 2008 Jose Iturbi International Piano Competition and has received numerous other awards, including grand prize at the 2006 Los Angeles International Franz Liszt Competition, a 2002 Spotlight Award from the Los Angeles Music Center, and the ASCAP Lieber & Stoller Award. He has performed in numerous solo, chamber, and orchestra appearances nationally and overseas and was a fellow at numerous music festivals.

The FORD AMPHITHEATRE is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068, just off the 101 Hollywood Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. Tickets, priced at $36 and $25 and $12 for full-time students with ID and children 12 and under, are available at http://www.FordTheatres.org or 323 461-3673 (for non-visual media 323 GO 1-FORD). This event is part of the Ford Amphitheatre 2009 Season, a multi-disciplinary arts series produced by the Los Angeles County Arts Commission in cooperation with Los Angeles County-based arts organizations. For a complete season schedule, directions to the theater and parking information, log on to http://www.FordTheatres.org.